Hair grows back. (Except eyebrows, can anyone tell me why these seem to not come back the same?) 

I feel like I am saying some potentially unpopular things this week. It is true, hair grows back. For so many of us this can be linked to our identity, how we see ourselves, and how the world sees us. 

Curly hair was not in vogue when I was a kid. Big hair absolutely but not curly hair. There are millions of Jennifers in the world. I think it was the most popular name for 4 decades. I grew up in a small town and there were many Jennifers, to differentiate us we had nicknames and other identifiers. When I was in middle school on back to school night my mother introduced herself to my Spanish teacher and she, in an effort to remember which one I was, said, “oh, the Jennifer with all the hair”. My hair was part of my identity.

When I started chemo I lost my hair within a couple of weeks. I tried on my aunt’s wig, it was hot and not me. I opted for hats.

It was kind of funny, there was a new person at the local Chamber of Commerce. About 6 months after my treatment ended she said, “When I started I had no idea you had cancer! I just thought you liked fun hats.”

It actually took my hair a long time to grow back due to a medication allergy. So in my wedding pictures I have barely peach fuzz. I couldn’t find a hat I liked and I was ok with it.

Eventually my hair grew back and bonus it had less gray than it did before I had cancer. My eyebrows however, not so much.

People sometimes go to great lengths to avoid losing their hair. Tell me, did you lose your hair? Try to not lose your hair? What did you learn about yourself or other people?

Continue the conversation in the facebook group Surviving is JUST the Beginning or follow me on Instagram.